


And All the World was Open to You

by forcepair



Category: The Royals (TV 2015)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Study, Dysfunctional Family, F/M, Harry Potter References, Kathryn please go home, King Robert - Freeform, Nobody wants you here Kathryn, Robert really needs a hug, The Henstridge family is so f-ed up, Willow is such a sweetheart
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-17
Updated: 2018-05-17
Packaged: 2019-05-08 03:25:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14685447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/forcepair/pseuds/forcepair
Summary: Robert Henstridge is filled with demons. His father is one of them.[4x10] How did Robert exactly make Willow say "I do" and throw away all his scripts and schemes?





	And All the World was Open to You

“You will never be a great king.”

If he didn’t endure all the pain he had gone through, it would’ve cracked his resolve brick by brick and then throw the pieces out of the window. But Robert refuses to look his father in the eye. Not when he does doubt him yet again with that pointed look on his face that Robert was well too familiar with. He doesn’t need to glance to know, he just happened to feel it piercing through his dark morbid soul.

"Do you really have to tell me that on the day of my wedding?"

Robert Henstridge is filled with demons. His father is one of them.

He keeps on reminding that he’s dead. He had seen the grave inside the marmoreal with the obligatory red velvet coverings all over everything.

Apparently, it all comes into this setup. His father had laid all the chess pieces in front of him. He was letting his son win, a sign of calculated torment for all the mistakes and shortcomings trailing Robert wherever he goes.

' _Such strategy_ ,' he scoffs in his mind. He ignores his father's strategy and comes up with a tactic.

The hatred engulfs every fiber that comprises his entire being, coursing through the blood that they both shared. It only took seven words to provoke the rabid demon in him, how much more does his father want?

“Tell me, Robert Simon, which of us do you hate more?”

Robert bit back the name from rolling off his tongue.

"Don't you already know the answer?"

* * *

Robert loves to be loved.

For whatever reason, the country loves him, so he loves it back.

Maybe it’s the product of royalty given to him since birth. He wasn’t given a silver spoon stuck in his mouth, it’s golden. Proud and gleaming. The press adored the bouncing baby boy soon to be king beaming in the arms of the king and queen.

Everything in Robert’s life was perfect.

He’s showered with presents and wishes more than enough, more than he could ever imagine.

Before he could even learn to say the word, Robert knew power.

He’s given with so much love that he was powerful.

It’s not the power that his father had over the people, not the one that muscular men in the telly had. And it’s definitely not the one that he’d hear his mummy say inside her chambers accompanied by voices of a man that’s _definitely_ not his father.

It’s the power to do. The power to be happy and make people happy.

Everything was perfect.

* * *

Then Liam came along.

The entire world was swept with the revelation that the matriarch of House Henstridge’s bearing not one, but two additional figures in the royal picture that Robert lives. Every attention that he had shifted to Liam and Eleanor—sweet and innocent that will never ever have the burden of a king’s or queen’s crown.

Every time his family strolls outside the walls of the palace, there’ll be two or more stubborn reporters slipping past the security. Robert will never understand why there’d be people risking their lives just to get one shred of information.

All questions were shooed away, most of them played along the lines of “How do you feel about your siblings?” or “Will you be a good brother to them?” always with his name and title before each inquiry.

His mummy takes his hand and they walked hurriedly out of their hair.

But there’s this one loud voice that knocked off whatever composure the esteemed Queen Helena tried to maintain. “Prince Robert, do you feel a competition between you and your soon-to-be-born brother?”

Robert stopped in his tracks, hand almost slipping away from Helena’s grasp.

‘ _What?_ ’

As a child, it confused him more than it should. But he’s smarter than average.

‘ _Competition? For what?_ ’

There were so many things going on in his head that he didn’t notice she was staring.

A realization dawned on Helena’s face. Her head whipped towards that particular reporter, and Robert sunk upon seeing something new in his mummy’s eyes.

“Mummy?” he asked tentatively, and the grip on his hand tightened.

She set the reporter a cold, deadly glare with her lips pursed and jaw clenched.

For the first time in his life, Robert feared her. He never saw her so bothered, so agitated at one simple question.

Scratch; it wasn’t a simple question because it also bothered him, though not as much as his mummy did.

“Come along now, Robbie.”

* * *

Robert loves Liam and Eleanor.

The palace was more fun than it was without them. It had been too quiet without their rambunctious deeds that ticked off the staff, and of course, their ever-so controlling mother.

He loves them so much, but he’ll never admit how much he appreciates being whisked away from his tutors just to be forced into the twins’ gang activity.

Maybe one day.

* * *

The king spent more time with Liam than the rest of his children.

Robert wanted to be Liam.

Odd.

The queen spent more time with Robert than the twins.

Eleanor wanted to be with their mother.

Very odd.

But Robert devoted all his time to Eleanor and avoided the other twin as much as possible.

Liam just wanted to be like his brother.

Very, very, very odd.

* * *

Something changed in Liam.

It all started with, “Brother, I want to be like you someday.”

Robert never felt overprotective of what was rightfully his in his entire life. He’ll protect it from his brother’s prying hands.

Liam did everything that Robert does, only better. He stole what was important from Robert.

Their father’s favor.

 _"Do you feel a competition between you and your soon-to-be-born brother?_ "

* * *

“Mum?”

Queen Helena turned to him, golden pen in hand and a fluke of champagne in the other.

“Yes, dear?”

“What do I have that Liam don’t?”

Without missing a beat, she replied nonchalantly, “The crown.”

* * *

It all came to virtue versus power, branching the birth of Sparrow and the Crown Prince.

Two powerful beings with contrasting goals that neither knew what the other wants.

Robert will be king, and Liam will remain to be that disgraceful brother that their mother looks down upon.

Never in his entire life did Robert feel so sure about something.

At that moment, Robert discovered a new power.

Manipulation.

' _It must be from the paternal side of the family_ ,' Robert would think as he shoots his uncle a disdainful look from afar. ' _And, probably strengthened by mum's side_.' 

* * *

Kathryn Davis.

She was Robert’s first taste of life. Both literal and figurative.

He never imagined a life away from all the current and upcoming responsibilities that were tied to the crown. Never ever. But everything turned into a fairytale without the once upon a time. It just happened happily ever in one look in her eyes. From that moment, he understood the feeling of wanting to escape all responsibilities in order to be with a woman that he loves and will love for the rest of time.

A woman, no title granted at birth unlike the ones that throw themselves at him on a daily basis, he genuinely cared so much and gave him a thrill that came from sweeping him off his feet and make him all lovey-dovey over her.

He’d laugh upon thinking that Kathryn was the one that swept him off his feet when it was supposed to be the other way around.

“K, do you imagine being with me on the throne, as my queen?”

“I only happen to daydream being your girl, nothing else.”

At that moment, she received a title.

Robert’s girl. His beloved, his life, love—the list went on and on for who knows how long.

How funny that she made him so weak to his knees that he’ll overthrow the monarchy and give up the throne so that he could shout to the heavens how much she means to him.

And he’ll do it in a heartbeat.

That is if that heartbeat still remained.

He came back for her with ten magic words ringing over and over his head, more than ready to tell it to her even if it will cost his mother's disapproval.

" _I will give up the throne to be with you_."

But, how did life become so unfair to him?

 _"Do you feel a competition between you and your soon-to-be-born brother?_ "

Liam's name is written all over her lips, her eyes, her skin.

Her heart.

Kathryn gave him a reason to come back, now he wished he’d died. He had witnessed his body going down with the plane, crashing mercilessly down the surface. But this? This was nothing compared to it. His world crashed all at once and shattered all over her feet.

Their feet.

Liam and Kathryn.

Was he this evil to deserve to be stripped away from the arms of the woman that gave him the reason to live? To come back and crawl towards the world he didn’t want anymore?

It had to be Liam.

* * *

" _Do you feel a competition between you and your soon-to-be-born brother?_ "

If knuckles can talk, his will surely be glad to answer that question.

Hard.

Upon his brother's face.

Over and over again.

* * *

Because Robert had always been studying whatever monarchy pushed him to, he never had a chance to read Harry Potter. It was a prominent thing in his country, seeing the merchandise all over that he could barely even name what was its significance.

One of his friends, or associates technically, said that Robert's missing something in his life. And it's reading Harry Potter.

He can say it’s his fault since he had spent all those years trying to beat his father and brother for him to prove that he can be a great king, so he never actually had to experience loving the series.

“It’s official, you’re a Gryffindor. Not that I’m surprised,” declares the dark-haired woman who had all her eyes on Liam longer than to be considered as ‘just friends.’

_Darling, if you only know who has his eyes on._

Earlier, he got mildly bored talking to her, but something piqued his interest that _absolutely_ had nothing to do with her being all cute and giddy.

Maybe it was Harry Potter, and he’ll personally thank its author later.

She’s the new social media advisor the queen hired. For a palace staff, she’s too bouncy and bubbly. Not that he’s complaining. It’s nice to see a bright face in the midst of the gloomy faces he always sees every day at home.

“That’s all I needed,” she added.

From what he had heard, being a Hufflepuff, for the lack of an eloquent substitute to honor historical accuracy, _sucks_ and is bland and boring. But that’s what he had heard, so he tried to act that he’s immensely impressed by the results.

But, Gryffindor means that he’s a good guy, right?

Now that’s something new, and she’s expecting to be one?

Him, a good guy?

‘ _At least, I wasn’t a Hufflepuff_.’

“What’s wrong with Hufflepuff?” Her voice sent tantalizing chills down his spine.

Robert’s entire system shut down upon seeing the darkened expression on Willow’s face, reminding how his mother glared at the reporter years ago.

He must make up to her, he needed to regain that smile that he really, really liked. That thought was never meant to escape from his mind, and now he had offended her with it. His mind was screaming to _fix this!_ or he’ll suffer the consequences of being a jerk.

Robert would give anything to be a jerk to the whole world, but, please, not in front of this one.

“Um…” _Fix it, Robert bloody Simon!_

“Nothing…” _Fix it, now!_

“I just—uh…” _FixitFixitFixitFixitGoddammit_.

His words were faltering, and he was never like this on a regular basis on a cute girl who always has a smile. That is until you make that girl very, very cross.

When the plane was falling from the sky, his chest and stomach did something complicated. That was what his heart was feeling when he couldn’t bring himself back to composure. If his mother could see him, she’d disown him from the “favorite son” tier when he’s completely slipping in a similar manner when his foot had been caught by a banana peeling courtesy of Eleanor.

Thank the heavens, she miraculously smiled all so sudden after he had been stumbling all over his words.

In the end, she wasn’t really mad at him after all.

* * *

“Alright, Robbie, who’s the girl?”

Eleanor gave him a pointed look, eyebrows arched and arms folded across her chest.

He sighed, raising his arms in surrender. “Okay, you got me. I’m doing this to impress a girl.”

Slowly, she nodded.

“How did you know?”

Eleanor thought for a moment, then shrugged. “Instincts.”

It was Robert’s turn to give her a pointed look, though it was more exasperated. “Instincts?” he repeated in disbelief. “Which came from?”

They didn’t need a word for that because both of them knew what sort of instincts she was talking about and where did she gain them.

“Len, please,” he tried again with a wavering voice which made his face turn red on how desperate he had sounded.

After their conversation, a package was left on his desk when he came back to his office. Inside it was the books that he begged his sister to smuggle inside the palace because the last thing that he wanted is the press going wild over the idea that their soon-to-be king had spent all day trying to finish a book series.

Eventually, as the social media adviser, she’ll discover and put two on two together that he did it after he made a wrong slip about Hufflepuffs.

He didn’t want to watch the movies first. He wanted to look an authentic avid fan.

After all, the girl’s a Ravenclaw.

* * *

Willow is perfect to wear the queen's crown, unlike Kathryn who never wanted anything from royalty.

She's a natural, standing pretty and speaking eloquently in front of the media.

Willow is everything Robert wanted for a bride. A perfect queen that'll distract the world from his demons.

He needed to gain her heart, but what started to this thought lead to a series of unexpected twists and turns. From Hogwarts House Sorting Hat quiz to Chinese noodles, elephant necklace, and a music box. Robert was so invested in trying to catch her heart when he hadn't realized that he was the first one to fall over her.

She's different; a good different. She wanted to use her queenship to inspire and change the world. Willow loves England more than he does. She sees potential in everything around her, most especially in him.

She's more than pretty and smart.

Willow is more than an ordinary girl.

What did he do again to deserve a presence beside him such as her? Wasn't the world cruel to him?

Scratch that.

Wilhelmina Margaret Moreno  _is_ his world, and she's more than good to him.

The night he discovered how much he loves her, Robert prayed she won't turn out like Kathryn.

* * *

Willow smiled at Liam after he swooped in to save her from the press—the kind of smile that her lips do whenever she's genuinely flattered by something. The one that makes Robert's heart melt despite the frigidness of his demons.

The words of Cassandra echoed in his mind. Was Liam truly the reason why Willow's response to the proposal was delayed?

" _Do you feel a competition between you and your soon-to-be-born brother?_ "

Yes.

Then, Kathryn's eyes turned apprehensive as they met with his before quickly averting her gaze.

Guilt.

Kathryn is guilty of something.

He prayed earnestly that Willow won't turn out to be like Kathryn.

* * *

"What is it?"

"It's Kathryn."

"What about her?"

A beat.

"I think she still has feelings for me, babe."

* * *

"Your brother loves you very much."

Robert scoffs, this time audible to show his father to what extent he disagrees with this. "Unlike you," he fires back.

"Please, Robert Simon, your brother is giving you time to change. If you don't want to, then change for _her_."

This is the only thing that Robert considers after everything that his father had told him. With chest heavy with all the emotions he burrowed there, he looks up at him for the first time. His eyes glassy and tired from all the pain he had gone through.

"For her?" he whispers, soft with vulnerability.

"She loves you, Robert, as much as you love her. Are you willing to give her up just to chase a fantasy that you know you aren't?"

His fist meets the surface of the table, hard. The chesspieces stumble as the table shook.

Simon Henstridge remained pensive, not caring that the pieces are now scattered across the board.

"Why are you all so against me? Why do you all prevent me from fulfilling my destiny? You, Liam, K, Mum, Len, and now her."

"That's because it's not the destiny we want for you."

"And what do you want me to be? A lowly man that wastes his time like Sparrow would—"

"Knock it off, Robert Simon Henstridge!"

Robert's jaw wrenches close, leans back, and stares at his father who's breathing heavily from the yell.

"My son, you're so obsessed with competing against your brother that you are neglecting the woman that loves you with everything she has. And now what happened? She turned against you. You have only one chance to prove yourself once more, or lose the crown and her heart."

After that, his father disappeared, leaving him with his words sinking through Robert.

The demons in his head are silent.

* * *

Robert finds Willow isolated at the far-end of the cathedral. Every stride he takes is heavy to the heart that his resolve is slowly cracking and his chest breaking.

She refuses to look him in the eye when he came nearer.

"You look beautiful." He put every ounce of affection in his voice, to prove that he truly, madly, deeply loves her in spite of the shortcomings and failures his family is trying to expose.

She always does, no matter how much she conceals the hatred she has whenever she looks at him nowadays. In all honesty, she's an angel. Is it because of the grand white dress she's wearing. Nevertheless, a benediction that he doesn't deserve after all the unanswered prayers and wishes he made throughout his life.

He's ready. The chess game is set to end, she only has to conclude it with a checkmate, and he's done.

Something changed in Willow. She looks at him as if he doesn't belong here. As if he isn't supposed to be in church, let alone in the eyes of God. It isn't loving and heart-warming anymore, it's cold and callous.

"You're not supposed to see me yet," she says, dodging the compliment.

If words are weapons, Willow's would be bullets through his chest. Robert visibly sinks his shoulder. She doesn't love him anymore. He lost her completely, and it hurt more than he expected.

There's a fire inside him, but why is it cold at the same time?

Is it the heat of anger and the coldness of guilt?

Robert doesn't know which and ignores it. What he's feeling right now isn't much importance than winning Willow back. 

His mouth was open but then closes when seemingly he feels lost. He can't find the words he composed inside his head. The script that was carefully formed in case of backfires and whatnots. Now, it seems that by just one stare, the script was hurled out of the window.

His father's voice floats inside his head. " _Change for her_."

It's up to him now. No more scripts and schemes.

"We need to talk," he pleads when he regained his voice. He's all watery eyes, heavy heart, trembling limbs, and spinning head.

An emotion that Robert doesn't recognize flashed in Willow's eyes for a moment. It's not hostile unlike before, it's gentle and understanding. She nods, though almost inconceivable due to its lightness, and shifts on her feet, probably to step back but has decided against it. "Alright." 

"I'm sorry, truly. A thousand times, my love. I am, and I will always be."

Willow swallows hard, backs away as far away as her petticoats can provide at the moment when Robert steps forward and reaches out to touch her cheek.

His hand is left suspended in the air, dumbfounded, slowly curling and dropping it to his side. Voice raspy with the fight against to cry, he tries again, "Willow, please."

"How am I supposed to listen to you? You've lied to me so many times," she accuses acidly.

"Doubt every word I had said to you, but please believe what I'm going to tell you."

She's breathing slowly, containing all the anger she has for him from turning into words or tears or slaps.

Robert takes this opportunity to let his gaze fall to the ground. Simon says he needs to change, but where to start? At the beginning when he's brought to this world? There are so many things he wanted to change in order to get her back in his arms that he doesn't even know where to start.

"The words I told you the other night weren't mine, they were Len's Christmas letter to Jasper that he never got because I took it."

"That's a good start," she notes quietly. 

This time, Robert plucks up the courage to look her in the eye as he confesses every sin he committed in front of this angel, of God, the souls of the monarchs before him.

_Bless me, Father, for I have sinned..._

"I manipulated Kathryn many times that ruined her relationship with my brother. I orchestrated the blackout to gain the public's trust. I permanently disbanded parliament so all the country's power would be in my hands. Cassandra has access to the palace, I never told you the advances she made because I fear that you may not trust me, but I pushed her away, my love. I ignored all the boats that were finding me because I want to run away from all the responsibilities. Babe, I've done so many horrible things that I couldn't even remember all of it."

Willow blinks, once then twice. Her head lowers as if the gravity of his words weighed on top of her. Almost immediately, Robert thinks that she would run after hearing all the sins contributing to the corruption of his soul.

Although, she doesn't and instead, she fixes him a hard stare. Unreadable and calculating.

When Willow's silence grew longer than he could handle, Robert breaks. He's done it, he lost her. His world crashes once more, faster than anticipated and much more painful than ever. When the world touched down, he sank to his knees, clutching his bride's hand like his life depends on it. The final thread of redemption is gone.

_NoNoNoNoNoNo._

_Please, please, don't abandon me like Kathryn did_.

They win, and he lost.

 _Please, not her. Take everything away from me, but I beg you, Father, please don't let her give up on me like everyone did_.

"No, no, no!" he cried, cried, and cried. He's shaking uncontrollably as the unshed tears from the years of endurance and suffering escaped his body. "Please, please, forgive me. Let me change." He presses an urgent kiss on her wrist. "I'll call off the wedding and give you time." On the back of her palm. "I'll disband monarchy and bring back parliament if that's what you want." On her knuckles. "I'll let my family expose me to the world how much a monster have I become." He turns her hand over and kisses her palm. "I'll request that cast of the Cursed Child to perform in our courtyard." On the pads of her fingertips. "Let me love you with all of my body, mind, heart, and soul. Please, believe me, Wilhelmina."

Robert summons all the strength his body have to glance up to her, who's now crouching in front of his weakened composure and her arm around him. "Please, I love you so much." He brushes his thumb over her hand to wipe away her tear-stained skin. "Let me prove it to you once more."

"I'm a bad person who loves you so much. I'm sorry that I led my greed and jealousy get the best of me when all you did is to support me. I'm sorry over again, and I'll never be tired to ask for your forgiveness alongside telling you how much this man loves you. My world was cruel, but when you came in, I never realized how it can be miraculously good because you became my world and you still are." 

After what it seemed to be more than an eternity, Willow pulls him closer to her and cradles him until all the pain floods away from his chest. She's strong enough to destroy him, yet at the same time, strong enough to repair him. Willow, who doubted him more than he can ever imagine, who allied with his family to oust him from the throne, is holding him in her arms. Her arms that he found safety and reassurance when he needed it the most. The arms that welcomed him after worrying after he's gone.

Pulling away, his lips sought for his cheeks, nose, forehead, everywhere but her lips with a mumble of "I love you"s in between the kisses. Then he aims for her lips, but a hand on his shoulder prevents him to do so.

For a moment, Robert feels that he did something wrong. "What's the matter?" he asks in a panic that shifted his mood too quickly.

Willow shakes her head and offers a warm smile to clear away his thoughts. "Save it for the world," she explains. To compensate it, she pressed her lips to his forehead for a long time after they stood on their feet.

"Don't forget my private viewing of Harry Potter and the Curse Child," she says with her hands splayed on his chest, looking at him once more.

Both of them laughs, though Robert is the one who's more than happy seeing her happy with him. 

"Now, go out there and be my husband."

**Author's Note:**

> Let's just say I cried while writing the last scene.


End file.
